From Cristiano Ronaldo to Neymar, some of the biggest names in the world of football have had sexual assault allegations levelled against them.
In some cases clubs and national teams put out official statements to avoid public humiliation. And sometimes the clubs chose to end their contracts with said player - a problem-solving separation.
Nevertheless, there have been instances of footballers under similar circumstances continuing to play for the same clubs, with the recent cases of Arsenal's Thomas Partey and Genoa's Manolo Portanova making headlines.
Both Partey and Portanova continued to play for their respective clubs despite being charged with sexual misconduct. While Portanova was proven guilty of being involved in a gang rape and was later sentenced to six years in jail, Partey, who received extended bail thrice, remains a free man, playing at the top level for Arsenal despite being accused of rape.
Some clubs, however, take immediate action.
TimesofIndia.com takes a look at five players whose club contracts were terminated after being accused of sexual assault:
Mason Greenwood - Manchester United
Mason Greenwood presents the latest case-study where a player did not face any legal penalty in the aftermath of being accused of sexual assault.
Emerging through the ranks at Manchester United, Greenwood rose to prominence under the management of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Representing England in every age group and with 35 goals in 129 appearances to his name for Man United's senior side, the youngster, only 21, was destined for a bright future.
But the charges of sexual assault, brought against him by his girlfriend in January 2023, were so daunting in nature that the Red Devils not only dropped the player from the squad but also put a bold question mark on his imminent future. Following the charges made public on social media, Greenwood was taken into custody but soon released on bail.
Earlier this year, the Crown Prosecution Service rejected all allegations against Greenwood, citing the withdrawal of key witnesses and "new material that came to light".
United released a statement saying - “Based on the evidence available to us, we have concluded that the material posted online did not provide a full picture and that Mason did not commit the offences in respect of which he was originally charged. "
However, the Red Devils felt that Greenwood did commit 'some mistakes', as the player himself admitted in a statement, saying - "I was brought up to know that violence or abuse in any relationship is wrong, I did not do the things I was accused of, and in February I was cleared of all charges. However, I fully accept I made mistakes in my relationship, and I take my share of responsibility for the situations which led to the social media post."
The club ran an internal investigation and recently confirmed that he will not continue bearing the crest of the English side despite the Englishman being cleared of all allegations. Now, it remains to be seen how his future pans out in the coming months and years.
Interestingly, according to some reports, Greenwood is back with the woman who accused him and that they share a child as well.
Benjamin Mendy - Manchester City
The Benjamin Mendy saga was perhaps the most intimidating tale in this bunch. If one is willing to go into all the details, he or she could pen an entire book on it. Signed from Monaco for a then-record transfer fee of around £52 million, Mendy arrived at Manchester City in 2017.
After flourishing on the field in the Sky Blue colours, Mendy saw his injury-hit trajectory meet with a big setback, with Cheshire Constabulary charging Mendy with four counts of rape and one count of sexual assault. He was taken into custody right away and then denied bail proposals as he had already breached the prior bail conditions by hosting a house party during his previous bail.
On the other hand, Manchester City confirmed that they would not be renewing Mendy's contract, allowing him to leave the club for free at the end of his term in June 2023. When the trial began against Mendy at the Chester Crown Court in August 2022, he had a total count of eight rapes, one attempted rape and a sexual assault charge.
In January 2023, the left-back was found not guilty of any of those said accusations. Rather, after he was released from custody on the back of this bizarre incident, renowned footballers such as Paul Pogba, Vinícius Júnior, Rio Ferdinand, and Memphis Depay voiced their support for the defender on social media. Though, it was not enough to earn him his lost place in Pep Guardiola's side.
Mendy has since then joined French side FC Lorient.
Gylfi Sigurdsson - Everton
The case of Gylfi Sigurdsson was somewhat of a shocker for everyone associated with the Premier League at the time. One week, he was donning the Everton shirt and representing the Merseysiders in the Premier League, and the next weekend, reports came out that he had been charged with sexual allegations.
Everton signed Sigurdsson after being left impressed by the midfielder's run of awe-inspiring performances for another English outfit, Swansea City. Following his arrival at the Premier League club, the Iceland international soon became an integral part of the Everton squad, subsequently notching up 31 goals and 25 assists from 156 matches over a spell of around four years (2017-2022) in all competitions.
Everton put out a public notice in June 2021 to inform its supporters that one unnamed player had been arrested "on suspicion of child sex offences" by Greater Manchester Police (GMP). Despite the initial uncertainty about the identity of the player, it soon became clear as day that the person in question was none other than Sigurdsson.
Despite being found not guilty, the midfield maestro never returned to play for the Premier League club, which was quick to respond to the adversity and proficient enough to keep the anonymity of the player intact for a long period. Now 33, the Iceland midfielder is supposedly taking a break in his career, casting doubt over his potential return to football.
Adam Johnson - Sunderland
Adam Johnson had an illustrious career before joining Sunderland, having previously engraved his name in English football with renowned clubs such as Middlesbrough, Leeds United, Watford, and Manchester City.
His footballing realm turned upside-down in 2016 when he was locked up in a sexual harassment case. Johnson was found guilty of sexual activity with a child and child grooming. The authorities at Sunderland took immediate action after the initial charges, subsequently parting ways with the player once and for all.
His wrongdoing saw him being given a six-year imprisonment sentence. He served three of those six years behind bars. With Johnson adhering to the rules and serving half of his punishment, the winger was released on licence.
But on the back of his release, he could not find a way back into football, marking the stint with Sunderland as his last activity in the game. According to reports in British media, Johnson once thought of writing a letter to all the English clubs, asking them for an opportunity. But the anticipation of backlash led his family to convince the player against this plan. As a consequence, his footballing career could never reignite.
Ched Evans - Sheffield United
Touted as a prominent Welshman in the striker role during his initial days, Ched Evans kicked off his professional footballing career with Manchester City. However, in search of some regular playing time, he left the Cityzens and joined Sheffield United on a permanent deal worth £3 million in 2009.
Evans scored 48 goals in 126 appearances over two spells at the Sheffield club. But the ugly turning point of his career was the year 2012 when he, 23, was taken into custody for raping a teenager and subsequently jailed for five years. Sheffield United immediately terminated his contract and released an official statement.
Evans ended up serving half of his sentence after hiring a new legal team to clear his name. His team collected all the evidence to strengthen his case, and his case was eventually heard by the Court of Appeal in the year 2016.
A few months later, the Court of Appeal quashed the previous ruling and ordered a retrial, where Evans was announced free of all charges. And as a result, he restarted his playing career and later returned to Sheffield for a second term. Currently, the 34-year-old Welshman is plying his trade for Preston North End in the Championship.
